Friday, April 27, 2012

Our reading goal for Library Month's "Word Up! A Million A Day the Canary Way" was set at 5,000,000 words for the week. At the end of the week, students had read over 21 million words! Congratulations to Mrs. Roberto's 2nd grade and Mrs. Yohannan's 4th graders for being the class who read the most words in the lower and upper grades. As part of our celebration, we held a flag ceremony where we gathered to do a DEAR (drop everything and read), dance to celebrate reading, announce the winners and enjoy our victory!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Students at San Vicente Elementary School don’t
just aim high, they set their sights for the stars! As part of CNMI Library
Appreciation Month, SVES will be conducting a Read-a-Thon for the week of April
23 to 27. The goal will be for students to read 5,000,000 words in a week or an
average of 1,000,000 words a day. Words per day will be measured by the Accelerated
Reader Word Count Report. Accelerated Reader is a progam that allows students
borrow books at their reading level, read them, and then take a computerized
quiz that checks for understanding. The program keeps track of how many quizzes
each student takes and passes and even how many words they read.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

We will be administering the Stanford Achievement Tests (SAT10) next week to all 3rd, 5th and 6th grade students. In preparation, here are some Test Taking Tips for Everyone. We won't say, "Good luck" because everyone's worked really hard to get ready for these state assessments. Instead, we'll wish everyone a good testing week and offer a cheerful, "Go get 'em Canary!"

Test Taking Tips for Students

Attitude is everything! Think of
the test as a giant puzzle or your favorite video game, it might be tough,
but you can do it!

Plan for the best! Make sure that
you have a sharpened pencil, good eraser and working sharpener. Having what you need ready gives
you more time to concentrate without feeling stressed.

During the test: Listen very
carefully to the instructions and read the directions while your teacher
is reading them out loud.

Do what you know first: Answer the
questions you know first and go back to the harder ones when you’re
done. That way you don’t get
stuck and lose time.

Be a problem solver! Reread the
questions to make sure you understand them. Eliminate the answers you know are wrong first and
choose the best possible answer.

Turn in a neat sheet! Erase your
mistakes well and do not scribble on your answer sheet. A machine scores the test and may
not find your answer if your test sheet is sloppy.

Don’t be in a hurry! If you get
done early, check your work to make sure you haven’t made any mistakes or
skipped any questions.

Test Giving Tips for
Teachers

Speak
clearly and loud enough for all students to hear, especially when reading
instructions.

Don’t
rush the test. Determine when
to go on and when to stop for the day by taking cues from your
students. If they look
overwhelmed and frustrated, take a short break to stretch or breathe.

Make
sure that test papers are properly filled out and test answer sheets are
clean before turning them in.

Help
your students understand that tests are just a way to find out how much
they know and how to help them understand more. Let them discuss their fears and encourage them by praising
their abilities.

Create
a soothing environment during testing by playing soft music and making
sure your room is clean and inviting.

Be
calm. Students sense your
anxiety and will become worried too.

Test Preparation for
Parents

Establish a bedtime routine: The average 6-12 year
old needs at least 9 ½ hrs. of sleep in order to remain alert during the
school day and be able to concentrate.

Comfort is key: Send your child to
school in his/her most comfortable clothes. We will provide the needed No.2 pencils for students,
but having an extra pencil, sharpener and eraser can’t hurt.

Be a champion, eat a good breakfast: Hungry children can
only focus on one thing: lunch/snack time. If your child eats in the school cafeteria, don’t
forget to send them to school with their breakfast or lunch money. It is also very important to send
healthy snacks with your child so that they are able to refuel during
breaks. Sugar or junk food
only deplete energy.

Come to school on time: Please send your child
to school on time and make sure that he/she is present for the entire week
of assessments. The tests
usually begin in the morning, and although make up dates are
pre-scheduled, it can be more stressful for children to have to take their
test when everyone else is already done or when they have to be placed in
an alternate environment.

Talk with your child about the test: You can help ease your
child’s worries by letting him/her talk about how they are feeling. Remind them that the tests are a
measure of progress to help us plan better instruction, not something that
will be used to grade or judge them.

Talk with your child about their participation: Tell your child that
he/she should take the test seriously and do the best job possible. Tell your child that it is very
important to pay attention to directions, read questions carefully, and
double check all answers. It
is also important to fill out the bubbles and erase mistakes completely,
especially on the SAT10. Most
students already know to eliminate wrong answers right away and
concentrate on the rest of the possible choices when they are not sure about
an answer, but it is good to remind them.

Alternate Assessment: If your child has an IEP, he/she
may take the test with accommodations or receive an alternate form of
evaluation. Please see your
child’s teacher or contact teacher for more information.

Finally,
although these tests are of great importance, your child’s well-being is our
priority. The test will be over in
a matter of weeks, but learning never ends, so let’s focus on doing the best
job we can and follow this one last tip:

CELEBRATE! Your child’s self-esteem should not be based on the
results of any test, but rather on how loved, appreciated and supported he/she
is. Remember to praise and
encourage your child daily and to send him/her to school with an enthusiastic
“Go get ‘em Canary!”

Book Brag!

Here's a great story to read with your child about how adults can sometimes take tests way too seriously and how all we need is to prepare, believe in ourselves and shine! Ask your local or school librarian for this book.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

San Vicente School is using an online network that helps teachers and students safely connect and share ideas, homework, quizzes and other learning experiences. All teachers and staff have an Edmodo account and some students are already communicating with their teachers and taking online quizzes. If you want to know more about Edmodo, please visit the site at this address. Accounts are available for parents who have student's already registered. Please ask Mrs. Pangelinan about how you can access your child's class information. As we learn more about how to interact in this digital world, we'll be expanding our activities online.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Thank you to Ms. Kelly Butcher and Mr. Karl Reyes of the Saipan Rotary Club, for the donation of Webster's New Dictionaries to the 3rd Grade. They will surely come in handy as we prepare for our state assessments and for word studies on a daily basis.